David C. Vondle

David C. Vondle

David C. Vondle focuses on intellectual property, with an emphasis on patent litigation and complex technical cases.

Practice & Background

Mr. Vondle has extensive litigation experience in large-scale intellectual property cases involving a wide range of technologies, including software and hardware systems, wireless communications, and consumer electronics, including HDTVs. He represents clients in federal courts, state courts, the International Trade Commission, and in alternative dispute resolution. He also assists patent counsel in Asia, Europe and South America.

In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Vondle advises clients with respect to corporate transactions involving intellectual property, including acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures in a variety of global industries. For example, he recently represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Nortel Networks on all IP issues in a series of complicated asset sales relating to Nortel’s bankruptcy, including the auction of over 6000 patents and patent applications for over $4 billion to a consortium of technology companies. His experience further includes royalty monetization and other intellectual property-based transactions, with a particular emphasis in the health care industry. He also has substantial strategic counseling experience, focusing on intellectual property assessments to maximize commercial value.

Before joining Akin Gump, Mr. Vondle was an associate in the Silicon Valley office of an international law firm headquartered in New York.

In law school, Mr. Vondle served as a judicial intern for the Hon. Marcia A. Crone, currently a district judge in the Eastern District of Texas. Prior to entering law school, Mr. Vondle performed scientific research involving molecular biology.

He is a member of the California and District of Columbia bars and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a member of the American Bar Association (Intellectual Property Law and Science and Technology Law sections), the Federal Circuit Bar Association, the International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association, and the Licensing Executives Society. In 2012, he was appointed as a member of two Standing Committees of the Intellectual Property Owner’s Organization, the U.S. Patent Law Committee and the Litigation Committee.

Mr. Vondle writes about and is quoted in the areas of intellectual property and climate change, including the effect of international technology transfer negotiations relating to climate change. He has also published articles on domestic and international legal and policy issues affecting renewable energies and other alternative energy sources.

Representative Matters

Mr. Vondle’s engagements include representing:

one of the world’s leading Internet and software companies in patent litigation in the Eastern District of Texas, Delaware, and elsewhere relating to a variety of technologies

one of the world’s leading Internet companies in patent litigation in Delaware relating to data display

one of the world’s leading television and consumer electronics companies in several Section 337 proceedings at the International Trade Commission

a leading document technology and services company in the Eastern District of Texas relating to multifunction devices and software

a large computer manufacturer in patent litigation in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of California relating to wireless standards

a global mobile phone manufacturer in patent litigation in the Western District of Virginia relating to cell phones

a leading medical device company in patent litigation in the Western District of Tennessee and Northern District of California

a memory interface design company in patent litigation in the Northern District of California regarding computer memory chips

a biotechnology company developing next-generation tools for genetic analysis in patent litigation in the Northern District of California, in California state court and in arbitration regarding fraud, breach of contract and related claims

a biopharmaceutical company in patent and antitrust litigation in the Central District of California regarding methods of antibody production.

Community Involvement

Mr. Vondle’s community, civic and charitable activities include being a Patron Circle member of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a resident sponsor of the Friends of the National Zoo.

Speaking Engagements

Mr. Vondle has been a regular speaker on panels regarding patent litigation in Silicon Valley, particularly relating to startup or small companies. In addition, he has previously served as a trial judge at the Stanford Law School Mock Trial Invitational.